10 Foods Guaranteed To Make You Fat

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  Nearly 2 billion people on the planet are overweight.

The figures are shocking:

• 2/3 Americans over age 20 are overweight
• Nearly 1/3 of Americans over age 20 are obese
• Worldwide obesity has nearly doubled since 1980.

Obesity is now classified as a disease by the American Medical Association (AMA).

See how many people become obese every second: World Meters Info Obesity

Eric Schlosser in his book “Fast Food Nation” says that the annual health care costs in the United States from obesity is close to $240 billion.

We can’t afford to be overweight and obese. Let’s learn how to do something about this now! Start with learning which foods make us fat.

10 Foods Guaranteed to Make You Fat

1. Artificial Sweeteners:

Diet soda does have less calories and less sugar than regular soda. This doesn’t mean it’s healthy. A study found that people who drank two or more diet sodas a day had six times the waistline compared to those who skip the diet cola.

Research has also shown that NutraSweet, one of the most popular artificial sweeteners, leads to the same surge of insulin as white carbs (see No 7 food below) –- because of sweetness detectors in the small intestine.

2.  White sugar is full of calories that sabotage healthy eating and prime your palate to crave sweets.

The world is filled with sugar addicts. When our blood sugars are high we are high. When our blood sugar is low, we feel totally run down and exhausted and want more sugar. Sugar has no vitamins or minerals, just lots of fat-building calories. Watch out for hidden sugars!

3. Cheese can be a fattening food.

It contains a large amount of fat and is hard to digest. (a deadly combination)

Poor digestion causes weight gain! Fat has nine calories per gram, protein and carbohydrates have only four.

The most fattening food in the world is considered to be cheese fries.

4. Gluten rich foods are fattening but so are most common gluten free packaged products.

Read the labels; they are full of starch and sugar. A study discovered that it was easy to eat too many slices of bread in one sitting.

5. Potatoes were found to be the top food making us fat.

All forms were found to be fattening.  Every serving of fries eaten in a day was linked to weight gain of more than three pounds, while eating an extra serving of potato chips led to a gain of 1.69 pounds.

6. Alcohol blocks the body from burning fat.

Alcohol increases the release of the hormone cortisol that breaks down muscle and retains fat. The loss of muscle can slowdown metabolism making it easier to gain weight. Also, alcohol causes a drop in testosterone in men, a hormone which helps burn fat.

Fat metabolism can be reduced by as much as 73 percent after only two drinks of vodka and lemonade in a one hour time period. (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition). Alcohol dehydrates the body which needs to be hydrated to build muscle and burn fat.

7. White Carbs (white rice, pasta, white bread, and starches) are fattening because they are high glycemic index foods.

A study suggests that such carbs are a problem for people wanting to lose body fat. Findings show that consumption of the wrong carbs creates body fat.  Ludwig and his colleagues at Children’s Hospital Boston

8. Fats and Oils are fattening especially when they come as deep fried foods and baked goods.

Fats and oils also contain 120 calories per tablespoon.  Even olive oil has lots of calories even though it has significant health benefits.

9. Processed Foods are loaded with calories and almost no nutrients!

Diet microwave meals and frozen meals are high in sodium and calorie-rich fat to preserve flavor. Eating them causes you to retain water in your arms and legs, leaving you puffy.

Research by the London University College team, suggests that a diet high in processed food increases the risk of depression.

10. Processed meats (lunch meats, bacon, sausage, hot dogs) are high in calories, fat and sodium.

Sixty eight percent of bacon’s calories come from fat, almost half is saturated fat and each ounce has 30 milligrams of cholesterol.

Too much salt in your body leads to water retention and bloating. NO amount of processed meat is considered safe to eat, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research.

We are the result of what we eat.

Let’s not short change our body with foods high in fat, sugar, and chemicals. If you are still eating many of the foods listed above, simply start decreasing the quantity until you are in control. (Every bit helps!)

How do you decrease the “bad” foods. It’s simple. Increase the GOOD ones!

Everyone already know the good foods: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and quality proteins. If you needed to choose the best food group, it would be vegetables.

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Sexual Dysfunction’s Underlying Cause

• “Just because we don’t understand doesn’t mean that the explanation doesn’t exist.”  -Madeleine L’engle

My favorite thing to do is teach and last weekend I was lucky to have the chance to give a presentation to 50 physicians about working with their patients’ sexual dysfunction issues. I thought it would be easy since I spend so much of my days thinking, researching and talking about ways to become more sexually healthy, but in fact I was surprised how much I still had to learn as I was obliged to organize my rambling knowledge into a cohesive 90 minute talk. It is daunting to cover the vast swaths of dysfunction that make up the landscape of so many people’s experience with their sexuality. Pain with sex is almost more common than not in a lifetime and the silence that overwhelms the symptoms makes healing through education all the more difficult.

One of the most enlightening aspects of educating ourselves about our sexuality is that just as in other areas of cognition, what we don’t know about or have language to describe disappears from view. It turns out that this is precisely the case when it comes to the largely unknown anatomical structures of the internal clitoral organ system. Contrary to popular belief, the clitoris is not just a small button that sits on the top of the vagina — the external glans, containing over 8000 nerve endings and connected to 15,000 more throughout the pelvis is the proverbial tip of the iceberg. In fact the clitoral organ structure closely resembles the male sexual structures with long legs that reach deep into the vagina.

It wasn’t until the 1990s that research was done that elevated the clitoris from an external place to an internal organ system and not until 2011 that we had an accurate sonographic image. So even today, most women have yet to discover this complex and profound organ system they are carrying around. One of the researchers Dr. Pierre Foldes duly noted the truth that these internal organ systems only exist for women who know they are there and are working at cultivating their sensitivity … Thus the long standing arguments about the veracity of the g-spot.

This lack of self knowledge about our sexual selves and the complexity of our sexual functioning is not limited to the clitoral anatomy. There are almost as many men who struggle to control their ejaculations and ability to have an erection as there are women who suffer with a range of constriction and dryness issues that make sex painfully disappointing. It is the utter silence and discomfort about breaking our silence that keeps us locked away from the healing sexual capacity that lives in each of us.

Here is the takeaway: we cannot begin to evolve in places that remain hidden.  The solution to almost all sexual dysfunction begins with open dialogue, not suppression.

Replacing the archaic cloak of shame that has too long been associated with this aspect of humanity can only heal us. Anna Freud famously said, “Sex is something you do, sexuality is something you are.” Waking up sexually starts with breaking the societal barriers that are silencing your questions and desires. At least with the people you trust most deeply, dare yourself to wake up to the sexuality you are.
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5 Ways to Make the Most out of Your Vacation

• Summer is nearing its end, but hopefully you still have one more trip in the works, even if it is a short one. Make the most out of your final vacation of the summer by finding inspiration in an unfamiliar place. To help you accomplish this, leave these 5 things at your proverbial front door.

Schedules. Stop making daily plans for a couple of days. Try to fly by the seat of your pants for a day or two. We often over-plan our vacations to the extent that it becomes stressful to stay on track. Now, how is that fun and rejuvenating?

Your car. Yeah, you probably need your car to get to the hotel, plane, et cetera. But, once you’re there, ditch it. Sure, you could drive down to the beach, but your car is just insulating you from new and exciting experiences. Instead, try to bike, skate, canoe, walk, or jog everywhere as much as possible. Not only will you feel great, but you will be helping the earth AND opening yourself up for new experiences and opportunities.

Your diet. Leave your meat-and-potatoes meals at the bus stop. A vacation is the time to get outside of your comfort zone. Try to adopt local customs and try different cuisines when you are vacationing. Who knows, you may discover your new favorite food! Just going to the beach? Try something you’ve never had before, even if it is as commonplace as a new flavor of ice cream.

Electronics. Everyone knows this one. Unplugging for a couple of days can reboot your system, so to speak. Electronics are stressful because they force us to multitask — an unnatural activity. Shut down your iLife for a couple of days, and remember what the world looks like beyond the retina screen. Who knows what wonders you will rediscover beyond the plugs?

Playing it safe. Take risks that you don’t normally take. Try a new activity, like rock climbing, or go out and meet new people. Maybe eat some spicy food. The risk doesn’t have to be dangerous, per say, but it should be beyond your comfort zone. It will pay off.

Go enjoy the last rays of summer and make the most of them. One great experience can alter your perspective on life and improve your future.

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7 Reasons Why You’re Still Waiting For Love

• Does it seem like you’ve been single forever? Have you given up on love after years of fruitless dating? Watching your friends pair up and settle down is frustrating when it feels impossible for you. Luckily, you don’t have to be resigned to a lonely life. Take a look at your dating behaviors and attitudes — changing just one thing might be the push you need to meet someone special and fall in love yourself.

1. Deep down, you may be really afraid. There are many reasons why you may be frightened of being in a committed relationship. What are those fears, exactly? Being rejected — again? Losing your autonomy? Being suffocated? Making another wrong choice? Opening your heart to love once more and having to deal with pain if it doesn’t work out?

Those fears can undermine our confidence and keep us from reaching out. However, this is only a serious problem if you are unaware of these fears. Once you begin to acknowledge and address these deeply-rooted issues, you can move forward and begin to engage in the kind of relationships you truly want. Begin with honest soul searching. Look closely at your past relationships. What happened? What conclusions did you draw? Look at your parents’ marriage. Would you want a marriage like theirs? It’s courageous to look at our fears and move forward in the face of their presence.

2. You may be more attached to your single life style than you are willing to admit. A long-term committed relationship requires you to change your ways. Perhaps you like that you can go where you want, when you want, and don’t wish to report to anyone about your choices. Perhaps you like the privacy of not having to include anyone else in your plans. Perhaps you’ve never considered the possibility that you could experience freedom in an intimate and committed relationship. It is possible, but first we have to believe it is so.

3. You’ve fallen prey to the scarcity belief! “There just aren’t that many good conscious, aware, available men or women out there.” It is so easy to get agreement and confirmation for this belief! Notice how quickly others will join in with this lament. However, with almost 7 billion people on the planet, half of them being the opposite sex, it is hard to imagine that there isn’t one that could be a good partner! Sometimes, we just have to challenge our beliefs.

4. You believe that all your previous relationships didn’t work because somehow you are missing that “relationship gene.” If we don’t have good experiences in relationships past (going back to the earliest ones as an infant), we can believe that relationship failures are somehow our fault, so we end up feeling inadequate. With this belief, not only does a person feel really terrible about not having a love relationship or losing a love relationship, they feel bad about themselves and who they are. It is important to remember we all bring strengths and weaknesses into our relationships. If we can learn from previous relationships, future relationships will be better.

5. The belief that when you find Mr. or Ms. Right, everything will flow easily from then on. Sometimes we think that challenges are a sign that this person is “just not right one for me.” You may not have found your perfect match if things are constantly difficult, but even great relationships have their share of challenges — especially in the early stages. There are many adjustments each will have to make, and sometimes they aren’t easy. Challenges are not necessarily an indication that it is a bad relationship. The other side of the coin is…

6. You want it so badly you just don’t see the warning signs. It can be really easy to go into denial when the desire for a partner is strong and you have been lonely for a while. If your friends are suggesting caution, pay attention. Look carefully! Does your partner pay attention to you and listen to you? How does your partner keep agreements? How does your partner treat others? Would you want a child to see him or her as a role model?

7. Like so many people, you believe you should have sex as soon as possible to see if you are compatible. The problem with this idea is that you quickly become emotionally entangled, especially if the sex is great. You then project your “ideal mate” expectations on this person. But you don’t really know who they are! It takes time to learn who a person is and what they value, to understand their character, to know how trustworthy they are.

It all takes time, and before you let yourself get so emotionally entangled, it is important to know who you are getting entangled with. Sometimes it works out, but often it doesn’t. When you discover that you really didn’t know this person, it hurts badly to become untangled… thus leaving you reluctant to try again with someone new. Take things slowly and minimize emotional fallout.

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These Are the Startling Consequences of Childhood Bullying

Bullying, it turns out, causes so much more than hurt feelings. In fact, as new research is showing, it can have dramatic consequences well into adulthood. And it’s not just for the victims of bullying, either; bullies themselves, as well as children who are both bully and are bullied, also have similar lifelong problems.

The study, co-authored by Duke University School of Medicine associate professor William Copeland and Dieter Wolke, tracked 1,273 students from 1993, when they were 9 to 13 years old, until they reached 24 to 26 years old. The children who were involved in bullying in any way, roughly 1/3 of the participants, were more likely to have poor health, face financial difficulties, and have trouble in the workplace, school, and even in social relationships. And this just adds to the research published last year by the same team, which found that bullied children were more likely to suffer from mental illnesses as adults.

Even when researchers removed underlying circumstances, such as pre-existing family issues and psychiatric illnesses, the results  stayed the same. Though victims were far more likely to face negative consequences as adults, bullies themselves do not fare as well as adults who had no involvement in bullying whatsoever.

Bullying, the authors wrote, is so much more than, “a harmless, almost inevitable, part of growing up.” Wolke stresses that the ideas about bullying need to be changed because, “the effects are long-lasting and significant.”

So what are these startling consequences of bullying? Click to the next page for a breakdown of the study’s findings.

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Health.

Victims of bullying are 6 times as likely to have a serious illness, like cancer or diabetes, and develop a serious psychiatric illness. Victims are much more likely to be at risk for suicide, too.

Risky Behavior.

Victims of bullying are six times as likely to smoke cigarettes as adults, four times as likely to have been charged with a felony, and more likely to smoke marijuana. Adults involved in bullying at all as children are also more likely to drop out of school and be obese.

Money & Work.

Children involved in bullying in any way are two times as likely to have difficulty maintaining a job and commit to saving money. Thus, they’re more likely to experience poverty in early adulthood.

Relationships.

Children involved in bullying in any way are more likely to have a harder time maintaining good ties with their parents or carrying on long friendships. Researchers did not find any impact on the likeliehood of getting married or having children, however.

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7 Surprising and Safe Uses for Sugar

Health experts sometimes call it “white poison,” or “sweet killer.” And while I have an impossible-to-control sweet tooth, I do realize that sugar is best avoided if you want to stay trim, keep your blood pressure balanced and protect yourself from some major illnesses. Read more about the staggering dangers of sugar here.

But in this article, I just want to list the good uses to which sugar can be put. No danger to your health — just pure benefit!

Get rid of roaches.

Mix sugar with an equal amount of baking powder. The sugar will attract cockroaches, and the baking powder will damage their digestive system. Make sure the mixture is not kept anywhere close to small children or pets.

Keep your cakes fresh longer.

Sprinkle fine sugar over cakes, and they will retain their freshness for a longer time. Bonus: they taste better!

Help your flowers stay abloom.

Have a bunch of blossoms and want to make them last? Offer them a sweet treat: 3 tbsp sugar + 2 tbsp white vinegar + 1 quart warm water = happy flowers! The sugar feeds the stems and the vinegar restricts the growth of bacteria.

Clean your coffee grinder.

Sugar absorbs the smells of coffee and spice. Whirl some granulated sugar in your coffee grinder to get it ready for fresh use!

Quell a Burn.

Tongue on fire from a hot chile or overheated beverage? Suck on a sugar cube. It will soothe your scorched mouth instantly.

Refresh your skin.

The fact that sugar exfoliates is something we all know. But mix it with a mashed banana that has turned overripe, and the scrub turns even more effective. A simpler way is to mix sugar with olive or almond oil, and apply it all over your skin, then step into the shower to get rid of the dead cells and emerge radiant!

Heal a wound.

A study shows that pouring granulated sugar on to bed sores, leg ulcers or amputations before dressing can kill the bacteria that prevents healing and causes chronic pain. The secret: Bacteria need water to survive but sugar draws water from the wound into the dressing.

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Anti-Cancer Apples

Over the last decade, a host of studies have been done on the anti-cancer properties of apples. Many of these studies have made headlines by producing surprising and favorable results.

Although most of the studies done thus far have focused on specific chemical compounds or nutrients in apples, when we look at the nutrients studied together we get a clearer picture of apples as anti-cancer powerhouses.

Due to the weight of mounting evidence for apples’ anti-cancer properties, they have been added to the American Institute of Cancer Research’s “Foods That fight Cancer” list.

Aspects of apples studied in relationship to anti-cancer properties and other disease prevention:

-       Vitamin C (antioxidant)

-       Fiber/Pectin (cleansing, lowering cholesterol)

-       Flavonoids, such as quercetin (which slow development of cancers of the colon, lung and breast.)

-       Triterpenoids, found in the peels of apples (which inhibit or kill cancer cells)

-       Oligosaccharides (which kill cancer cells)

Along with these anti-cancer benefits, apples may also help ward off strokes and give you better lungs. If I were an apple grower I would get planting, or rather grafting!

Although it’s become a common saying, don’t just expect to “eat an apple and keep the doctor away,” regardless of the rest of your diet and lifestyle. Just as viewing an apple’s multiple beneficial nutrients together gives a much clearer picture of its anti-cancer properties, when we think about our health it’s best to look at our diets and lifestyles as a whole…

For compassion, for ethics, for the environment, for the phytochemicals, whole foods and plant-based is the way to go!

Sources:
CBS Washington: Study Finds That an Apple A Day Keeps Cancer AwayDaily Mail UK: Apples Fight Heart Disease, Cancer, Strokes 
Natural News: Apple Cancer Cells Chemotherapy 
Science Daily

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